North Dakota State (NDSU) opened the 2026 college football season with a decisive 31-10 victory over Sacramento State in Sacramento, California; the Bison’s Nathan Hayes passed for 210 yards, with Jackson Williams catching seven passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN. Darius Givance added a 24-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Early Dominance and Defensive Clutch

Hayes opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Williams, and less than two minutes later, Givance returned a fumble for a second score to give NDSU a 14-0 lead. With 4 seconds left in the first quarter, Myles Mitchell capped a 49-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run; Taylen Eady intercepted a pass and set up DJ Scott’s 42-yard touchdown run, giving NDSU a 28-0 lead before halftime.

Television and Scheduling Shifts

The game was televised by ESPN, marking the 12th time NDSU has appeared on the network and the first since the 2025 FCS National Championship Game, according to InForum. This was also the first ESPN broadcast for any Sacramento State team. The game aired as part of a special early-season window, with NDSU’s move to the Mountain West Conference complicating future scheduling with ESPN due to its lack of a contract with the league.

Historical Context and Schedules

NDSU improved to 4-0 on the season, with their next game set for October 3 against Wyoming; Sacramento State, which plays in the Big Sky Conference, fell to 1-3 and will host UMass next Saturday. The two teams previously met in 1988, when NDSU won 42-20 in the Division II semifinals.

Sparky, an 11-year-old bison in Iowa, survived a lightning strike in 2013 and now bears a visible scar on its back, according to a report from dongascience.com. Meanwhile, in Yellowstone National Park, a 65-year-old tourist was launched 2.4 meters into the air after being attacked by a bison, reported newskorea.ne.kr.

The game marked the first time in over a decade that an ESPN linear channel broadcast an NDSU game before November, while the Mid-American Conference’s exclusive deal with ESPN includes over 25 games, mostly in late November during the MACtion window. Sacramento State’s location helped facilitate the early broadcast, with the game airing late at night following evening games featuring Auburn and Florida.